This craggy-faced character player of TV and film is known for playing ornery cowpokes, laconic criminals, and flustered sidekicks, notably in several Clint Eastwood vehicles. After making his debut in "Welcome Home, Soldier Boys" (1971), a violent film depicting the troubles Vietnam vets faced upon returning home, Lewis went on to appear in a number of seminal 1970s films, including Eastwood's "High Plains Drifter" (1973), as a small-town baddie, Michael Cimino's "Thunderbolt and Lightfoot" (1974), as a second-rate crook, and Michael Ritchie's "Smile" (1975), as the pageant president. Most of Lewis' feature work in the 80s consists of back-up roles in "A" features like "Maverick" (1994) and "Man Without a Face" (1993) and TV Westerns including "Desperado: The Outlaw Wars" (NBC, 1989), "Gunsmoke: The Last Apache" (CBS, 1990) and "The Gambler V: Playing For Keeps" (CBS, 1994).

He is the father of actress Juliette Lewis, actor-director Lightfield Lewis and actor Peter Lewis.